Shloka 66

Devanagari script

सौद्दं मे त्वया हयासीत्‌ पूर्व सामर्थ्यबन्धनम्‌ । नाक्रोत्रिय: श्रोत्रियस्थ नारथी रथिन: सखा,“पहले तुम्हारे साथ मेरी जो मित्रता थी, वह सामर्थ्यको लेकर थी--उस समय हम दोनोंकी शक्ति समान थी (किंतु अब वैसी बात नहीं है)। जो श्रोत्रिय नहीं है, वह श्रोत्रिय (वेदवेत्ता)-का, जो रथी नहीं है, वह रथीका सखा नहीं हो सकता

Transliteration

sauddhaṁ me tvayā hy āsīt pūrvaṁ sāmarthyabandhanam | nākrotriyaḥ śrotriyastha nārathī rathinaḥ sakhā ||

Translation

Sinabi ni Vaiśampāyana: “Noon, ang bigkis sa pagitan mo at ko ay pagkakaibigang nakasalig sa pagkakapantay ng kakayahan—sa panahong iyon, magkatimbang ang ating lakas. Ngunit hindi na gayon ngayon. Ang hindi śrotriya ay hindi maaaring maging tunay na kasama ng isang śrotriya; ang hindi mandirigmang may karwahe ay hindi maaaring maging kaibigan ng isang dakilang mandirigmang-karwahe.”

Word by Word

• {'sauddham': 'friendship

• companionship (bond of amity)', 'me': 'of me

• my', 'tvayā': 'with you (instrumental singular)', 'hi': 'indeed

• surely', 'āsīt': 'was', 'pūrvam': 'formerly

• earlier', 'sāmarthya': 'capacity

• competence', 'bandhanam': 'bond

• basis of attachment', 'na': 'not', 'a-śrotriyaḥ': 'one who is not a śrotriya (not learned/qualified in Veda and its discipline)', 'śrotriyastha': 'of/with a śrotriya (i.e., in relation to a Veda-knower)', 'a-rathī': 'one who is not a rathī (not a chariot-fighter/warrior of that class)', 'rathinaḥ': 'of a rathin (chariot-warrior)', 'sakhā': 'friend

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames friendship as sustained by shared qualification and comparable capability: intellectual companionship requires Vedic learning (śrotriya), and martial companionship requires matching warrior status (rathin). It highlights an ethic of propriety (yogyatā)—relationships are expected to align with one’s discipline, training, and station.

What is happening in the narrative?

A speaker reflects on a prior friendship that existed when both parties were equal in strength or competence, and then declares that the bond no longer holds because the parity (and thus the basis for companionship) has changed, illustrating a socially coded view of who can be considered a true peer or friend.